By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)
ゴジラ purists will no doubt only recognize the iconic beast by either its kanji or romanized name of Gojira. For purists, that’s the only name it goes by and thanks have to be given to Japanese manga artist Naoki Urasawa (Monster, Yawara) for creating an exclusive print that respects his true nature. Hopefully this print will see some form of distribution for fans to purchase this brilliant piece of work.
With the Legendary Pictures, Toho Films, Warner Bros logo, and copyright stamped below the poster, that must mean some company holds the rights to this print/artwork. The red stamp is Urasawa’s signature. Unlike in Western Culture, where an artists signs his name, in most Oriental societies, this stamp is unique to the artist and it is quite literally his ‘seal of approval.’
Should this print become available, fans of Urasawa’s art style can marvel as his technique. The brush strokes speaks of a determination — like that of a Fury flying through the night — and the light and dark ink tones reconigze the beast for what it is: a symbol of destruction in a war-ravaged city than something smashed up by beasts.
